The Missing Brave
by Amywxue
Summary: The figure moved into the light, and the nine remaining Braves gasped. For they knew the man that they were about to fight. The same hair, features...no, not quite. The man they respected didn't have such cruel light in his eyes. Isanami trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "No...no...this can't be happening. Please...anything but this. Please, stop...don't do this...Saizo!"
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is my first Brave10 fanfic. Hope you like it!**

**Sorry for any OOcness.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Brave10.**

For the fourth time that day, Kirigakure Saizo cursed his luck.

Firstly, Isanami had screamed at him to get up through the door to take her shopping. As if she couldn't do it herself!

Secondly, when he had 'politely' refused to go, the stupid monkey had physically _dragged_ him out of his warm futon, muttering something about being polite to women.

Thirdly, Isanami got hungry halfway through and they had to spend yet _more_ money on food.

Fourth? Well, let's just say that they were ambushed on their way back.

"Why the _heck_ does it have to always be _me_?" he growled, jumping up and flipping backwards to avoid several kunai thrown at him. "Why can't it be someone else for once? And for the record, _why_ does it have to be _her_ that gets me into the mess _every single time_?!"

"Saizo!" Isnanmi cried, struggling helplessly against the rope that bound her to the tree. "Help!"

"In case you haven't _noticed_," Saizo said through gritted teeth, "I'm a little _busy_!"

Saizo fended of yet another attacker who was determined to slice him in two, uttering something incomprehensible under his breath. He cursed as his vision went hazy again.

"Tired?" the attacker snickered, swinging his sword down.

Saizo blocked with his own weapon. "What did you do to me?" he panted. Slowly but surely, his movements have been getting sluggish. His body wasn't obeying his commands.

The masked shinobi laughed as he leapt away, with another ninja taking his place in keeping Saizou busy.

"Nothing special," the first ninja replied.

"A little sleeping powder," another agreed, throwing kunai which Saizo just managed to deflect.

"Nothing the great Saizou can't handle, right?" a third laughed.

"Oh no! Whatever shall we do?" the first gasped, mock worried.

Saizo swayed, his vision fading. He fell to his knees.

"SAIZO!" Isanami screamed.

"See?" one clicked his tounge, wagging his finger at Saizou as one would to a small child.

"Pretty cocky, aren't ya?" Saizo hissed venomously.

"Ah ah ah. We can't have that attitude now, can we?" the ninja roughly jerked Saizo's chin up. Saizo grunted, his eyes shining defiance. "Now bow!" he threw Saizo down onto the ground. "Bow to us like the pathetic dog you are, and we may just be nice enough to give you the antidote to the sleeping powder. Bow!" he spat.

"Saizo!" Isanami cried, silently begging him to swallow his pride.

Saizo chose to ignore Isanami's obvious warning. "As if I'll do that, you-" Saizo called the ninja something that he _defenitely_ didn't like.

"What did you just call me?!"

"What, you want me to repeat myself? I called you-" Saizo called him that again.

"Why you little-"

The enraged shinobi walked up and stomped on the weakened man's back. Saizo coughed. Flecks of blood came up.

"Saizo!" Silent tears trickled down the girl's cheeks. An omnious black aura began to surround the jewel she wore on her hairdress, fueled by her sadness and anger. Saizo discreetly shook his head warningly. She noticed this, and swallowed down her emotions. The aura faded. He gave a sigh of relief. He didn't know - and didn't want to know - what would happen if she activated the jewel when her emotions were in such turmoil.

"BOW! BEG FOR YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE!" the furious ninja yelled, still stomping on the dark-haired man. How is this guy a ninja in the first place? He has the pride and ego of a shogun!

"In your dreams, you-" Saizo called him something that enraged him even more.

"What did you say, you-!" With that, the two men exchanged insults in such a language that would put even the worst swearer to shame. Some of words Saizo didn't even know he knew were spat out. In fact, the words from both men got so bad Isanami had half the heart to shout 'Language!' despite the situation.

"Enough! I gave you a chance to live-"

"By groveling at your feet? Not likely!"

"-but you turned down my generous offer-"

"What part of that is generous?!"

"-and I grow weary of your cheeky tounge. Hold him up!"

Two ninjas roughly hauled Saizo up. The prideful shinobi took out a red pill. He waved it in front of Saizo.

"You know what this is?"

"Do tell," Saizo snickered weakly.

"Oh, I'll tell you allright. But why tell when I can just _show_ you?" Without warning, the ninja struck Saizo in the stomach. Saizo gasped. The ninja was waiting for this. He flicked he pill into Saizo's mouth, then clamped him jaw shut with both hands and tilted his head back in one motion. Saizo had no choice but to swallow. Immediately after, he started gagging.

"SAIZO!"

"It's a deadly poison," the ninja informed them. "Only we have the antidote. If he doesn't take it soon..." he made a slicing motion across his throat. The message couldn't be clearer.

"You're bluffing!" Isanami decleared.

"Am I?" the ninja replied. "It should start right about... now."

As if on cue, Saizo's eyes widened. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. The two ninjas dropped him, and he fell to the ground. His body twisted and writhed. All the while, his hands clutched at his heart. He coughed, and blood came no longer in flecks, but in a crimson stream. All the while, he gagged and hacked. His left hand moved from his heart up to his throat, as if he couldn't breathe. Isanami watched in horror as he stilled, curling up into a loose ball like a cat. But unlike a curled up cat, he wasn't relaxed or happy in the least.

"How could you do this?!" Isanami screamed wildly.

"Easy," the ninja drawled. "I just did." He gave Isanami a hard look. "He's a ninja, woman. He only betrays, and kills. He has no friends. He trusts no one. It's his job. It's his living. It's in his _blood_."

"No!" Isanami shouted. "You're wrong! Saizo isn't like that!"

The ninja's shoulders moved upwards in a shrug. "Hey, you don't have to believe me." He dashed up and whispered into Isanami's ear. His next words made her shiver.

The ninja drew back, and with surprise, Isanami realized he had cut her loose.

"Go tell that idiot Yukimura that we have one of his oh-so-amazing Braves," he said, swing Saizo's unconcious body over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

The words hit her like a thunderbolt.

"NO!" she screamed, struggling all the harder against the ropes that bound her to the tree. "DON'T TAKE SAIZO! Please... _please..._"

Her only reply was a harsh bark of laughter.

With a final sneer, the group of ninjas melted into the shadows, taking her light away with them._  
_

* * *

"Where could they be?" Seikai couldn't sit still. He had been pacing the room for the last half hour, ever since the sun started setting.

"Calm down," Jinpachi sighed for the dozenth time. He was fast losing patience with the large monk.

"It's so boring without Saizo here!" Kamanosuke whined, swing his weapon in the air. "I want some action!"

"Quit acting like a bunch of spoilt brats, will you?" Yukimura growled.

"Try saying that again!?" Kamanosuke yelled, immediately jumping up to his feet. Yukimura sighed tiredly, and Rokuro poured him another cup of tea.

"I wonder where Isanami-neesan is?" Benmaru sighed worriedly. Kamanosuke sent the young boy a venomous look as Seikai began muttering even more.

"I knew I shouldn't have let sis and that ninja go by themselves," he said angrily.

"Nothing will happen as long as Saizo is there. Your sister is perfectly safe," Yukimura assured him in a tired way.

"But what if they got lost? What if sis is hungry? What if she's cold? What if..." the ranting went on.

"Sasuke!" Yukimura called, covering his ears. "Go find them, will you? I don't think any of us can take much more of this..."

"Understood."

Sasuke didn't even get to take a single step when the door was flung open and Isanami burst into the room.

"What, did he leave you behind?" Yukimura teased. He stopped when he noticed the grim look on the young girl's face, however. "What happened?" he asked, more seriously. That was when Isanami broke down into heartbroken sobs. This immediately got everyone's attention.

"What happened?" the lord asked more gently.

"Came back ... *hic* ... shopping... ninjas...*hic*...attacked...sleeping powder... weakened... beat him... then...then..."

She couldn't go on as another wave of tears overwhelmed her. The Kushi-mitama began to turn black again, and Sasuke was quick to say, "Calm down. Talk slowly. What happened after?"

Isanami drew in a slow, shruddering breath and said one word. It was barely more than a whisper, but everyone heard it.

"Posion."

For several second, nobody moved. It was hard to believe that the prideful ninja would allow himself to be defeated by such tactics.

"Can you expand on that?" Yukimura prompted.

With a slight tremble in her voice, Isanami gathered herself and recounted the afternoon.

"Where is he now?" Yukimura asked, dreading the answer.

"They...took him." Isanami's usually cheerful voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"We have to go save him!" Kamanosuke screamed, waving Kusarigama over his head wildly. "I _refuse _to let any other people lay their hands on _my_ toy!"

"..."

"He's ... _kinda_ right," Yukimura agreed. "Sasuke, try and track them, but don't do anything rash."

"Understood." With a swish of his coat, he was gone.

"What?! Then what are _we_ supposed to ****** do?" Yuri demanded.

"Language," Isanami said, purely out of habit. "Benmaru's here, remember?" then she covered her face. "Oh, what am I _saying_?" she wailed. "Who _cares_ about language right now? Saizo's...Saizo's..." she broke down into a fresh wave of tears.

Benmaru placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"He's a ninja, Isanami," Kakei said gruffly. "He'll be fine."_  
_

Jinpachi snorted. "With his attitude? Heck, they'll be _begging_ us to take him back."

"It's not that simple," Isanami said. Her voice was still barely above a whisper, but everyone stopped and listened.

When it appeared that Isanami wasn't about to explain, Seikai said, "What do you mean?"

"Re...remember when I told you how he said that Saizo only b-betrays and k-k-kills?" the girl took a deep breath and looked up at the others with haunted and frightened eyes. "After I told him that wasn't true, he whispered something." Only now did she realize how horrible such a simple sentence could be.

"Well? Spit it out!" Kamanosuke said impatiently, earning himself a glare from Seikai, which he ignored.

When she did speak, it was almost as if a cold fog suddenly desended in the room.

"He said... 'You don't have to believe me. You can see it for yourself."

* * *

_"Well, well, well..." a voice chuckled as the ninjas dumped the dark-haired man onto the ground in front of their master. "Look who we have here?" Bowing, all but one of the ninjas left._

_"Shall I give him the antidote, master?" a figure to his right asked._

_"Go ahead, Yosuke," the 'master' nodded. The dark figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing itself to be a boy no older than sixteen. He swished purposefully to the limp figure, and dripped a drop of liquid into Saizo's mouth from a flask. Soon after, he started stirring. Yosuke, satisfied, went back to stand next to the master._

_"Will it really work, master?" the ninja asked. This was the one that had tried to make Saizo beg._

_"It should," the master replied. "It worked on all the test subjects, after all."_

_The ninja shook his head. "I still can't believe there can be a medicine to control people - it's unbelieveable!"_

_"Shh, Narihari. He's starting to wake."_

_And indeed he was. Saizo's eyelids fluttered as he slowly sat up. He didn't speak, but his eyes took in all the details of the room, and the people currently occupying it. His eyes had a somewhat blank and glazed look to it, like glass._

_"Stand," the master ordered. Saizo obeyed._

_Narihari snickered. Saizo's empty eyes flickered towards him for the briefest of seconds before settling back to the shadowy figure._

_"Do you know who you are?" _

_Saizo shook his head._

_"Your name is Kirigakure Saizo," the master informed him. "You are an ninja, and I am your master. Understood?"_

_"Yes...master."_

_"You will obey all of my orders," he continued, "and do everything I say exactly the way I tell you to do it."_

_"Yes, master."_

_"You also betray me at your peril - you have taken a deadly medicine. If you do not recieve a bit of the antidote every five days, you will die. Understood?" this announcement would make even the bravest man feel a tinge of unease, but Saizo's face remained stotic._

_"Yes, master."_

_"Good. That is all that you need to know. Your body is still weak, so you will be permitted some rest." he nodded at Narihari, who gestured for Saizo to follow. The two ninjas silently left the room._

_"If I may ask, master..."_

_"Go ahead."_

_"Why did you do this?"_

_"To prove that fool of an lord Yukimura wrong. Braves? Trust? That soft-hearted idiot."_

_His eyes glinted in the half-light._

_"Let's see what you'll do, brother dear, when you find one of your own trusted companions turn against you. It'll be a show worth watching."_

**Well? Was it good? Was it bad? Please review and tell me!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! I finally updated! Thank you to Tiger Priestess, Khattriya-leng, Awsaya, and CherryWillow19 for reviewing. It is much appreciated, and really inspires me to write.**

**Warning - Major OOC. But there's a reason.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Brave 10.**

"Any news, Sasuke?" Isanami asked anxiously. During the last three days, she had developed some habits that the other Braves found extremely worrying - biting her lip, keeping to her room, not eating - or talking - much. The usually chattery girl now hardly spoke save for the odd "please" and "thank you". Otherwise, she just shook or nodded her head. In fact, the longest complete sentence she had spoken since retelling the events of that afternoon was "Is Saizo back yet?"

"No," Sasuke said gently.

"Oh... thank you..." Isanami slowly returned to her room.

The watching Yukimura sighed sadly at the once-cheerful girl's flat reply. With Saizo gone - perhaps dead - it was almost as if all the life had drained out of Isanami. The other Braves were affected as well. An aura of unease hung about in the autumn air, and they didn't like it.

As Isanami slowly made her way back to her room, she passed the pond that Yukimura adored. Her eyes moistened as she remembered the time, not long after they first met, Sasuke had punched - or was it kicked? - Saizo into the pond, telling him that he needed to know his own weaknesses. Saizo had unconciously hinted that he _would_ stay. She had been so happy and relieved - Saizo had been so gloomy before. But Sasuke's speech (or perhaps it was the cold water) had, in a way, bought him to his senses. Isanami had tackled him with a hug, and they all ended up dripping wet. She bit her lip, and withdrew back into the sancturary - or perhaps prision - of her room.

"Sis!" Seikai wailed.

No one bothered to comfort him. Even if they _did _say anything like 'she'll be fine', they all knew in their hearts that it was fake. Isanami _wasn't _fine - and she will never be, unless Saizo returns. And who knows when that will be?

"Sis!"

"Oh, just ******* be quiet already!" Kamanosuke snapped.

"What? You wanna fight?" Seikai growled.

Much to everyone's surprise, Kamanosuke remained uncharacteristically quiet. In fact, Isanami isn't the only one that's changed.

Kamanosuke no longer screamed to fight every five minutes.

Jinpachi didn't leave the castle much to visit the near by areas anymore.

Kakei had stopped telling people off, even when Isanami wandered out in her sleepwear.

Seikai stopped mentioning Buddasim.

Benmaru lacked the energy to set traps around the castle for amusement.

The castle usually bursting with activity and voices - sometimes complaining, sometimes laughing, sometimes irritated - had become as silent as the grave. Sasuke was the only one that ventured out anymore. After all, it would be to dangerous for the whole team to trample about, searching for their lost companion. Another person could be caught and taken.

_Oh dear, _Yukimura sighed as Benmaru took an half hearted interest in some passing ants. _We're all quite down, aren't we? _He looked up at the sunset.

"The sunset's beautiful, isn't it?" he quoted.

Few faces looked up.

"Hmmm..."'s and "Mmmm..."'s were murmured.

"It is pretty," Benmaru agreed. "But... something's... missing. It used to be prettier, didn't it?"

Everyone stopped and stared.

"Sorry! Did I say something?!" Benmaru gulped.

"No," Jinpachi grunted.

"He's right. It seems... almost dimmer..."

Benmaru had childishly expressed what they all thought - it was like a part of the sun's dazzling light was taken away. The sun seemed to simply be swallowed by the incoming darkness, instead of fusing with it. The sunset - the moment where day slowly gives in to night - will never reach it's full beauty and glory without the original light.

"It'll never be the same without him, will it?" Yukimura finished the thought. His voice was quiet, but pierced the silence as loud as a battle cry. All the Braves heard, including Isanami in her room. Tears silently slid down her cheeks. On thought was in all their minds.

_Saizo, where are you?_

* * *

_"Kirigakure Saizo!" the ninja known as Narihari barked. "Your mission is to kill, in any way, Lord Sanada Yukimura, currently located in his castle. This is an order directly passed down from the Master. The details have already been given to you, I believe?"_

_"Yes."_

_The ninja snickered. "Can you do it?"_

_Saizo's eyes hardened. "Yes."_

* * *

"Isanami-neechan, you have to eat something," Benmaru insisted, offering her a plate of her favourite dumplings.

"I'm not hungry," Isanami replied before continuing to bite her lip.

Benmaru sighed. "At least come out, please! Yukimura-sama is holding an meeting."

After much convincing, Isanami reluctantly reappeared from her room.

"Good," Yukimura said as Isanami entered the room. "Now everyone's here."

Isanami tooker her seat, avoiding the eyes of anyone.

"Now... about the current matter at hand... After much consideration, I have decided to spread the search," the lord announced. Isanami's head jerked up, now listening intently. "Tommorrow, you will _all_ be out searching for Saizo, minus Rokuro and Benmaru who will be remaining to protect the castle."

Isanami's eyes shone for the first time in three days.

* * *

An owl hooted. It was a full moon tonight, but clouds hid the moon away from sight. Yukimura sat outside his room by himself, sipping sake and thinking.

_What was their purpose in capturing Saizo?_ Was the main thing.

_Who is behind all this? _Was the other.

He was so focused, he failed to notice the shadow until it was directly behind him. Usually it was Rokuro who noticed small details like this.

_Assassin!_ Yukimura's mind screamed at him. _Move!_

Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was something else, but the assassin paused for a split second before stabbing down. The weapon struck wood, alerting the sleeping Rokuro.

"Yukimura-sama!"

Leaping out of his futon, he grabbed his kunai and dashed to where his master was. The assassin was poised to strike again. Yukimura rolled out of harm's way by a hair's breath. _Heck... this guy is good._

Rokuro released a yell, and the assassin dropped the sword, covering his ears.

"Yukimura-sama!"

Movement was heard in the other rooms. Within seconds, the Braves were all outside, forming a circle around the intruder. The figure groaned.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" Yukimura demanded.

Without warning, the man grabbed his weapon and lunged for the lord. Jinpachi growled, "Oh no you don't!" Lightning arched through the air, stricking the assassin square on the chest. He coughed, reeling back.

"Had enough?" Jinpachi said smugly.

"I'm just gettin' warmed up," the person growled, swinging the weapon.

"Wait!" Isanami's eyes were wide. The way the assassin moved, how he swung his sword... it all seemed awfully familiar. The clouds parted. Everyone stared in shock.

"No _way_," Kamanosuke breathed.

The figure moved into the light, and the nine remaining Braves gasped. For they knew the man that they were about to fight. The same hair, features...no, not quite. The man they respected didn't have such cruel light in his eyes. Isanami trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "No...no...this can't be happening. Please...anything but this. Please, stop...don't do this...Saizo!"

**Well? I really tried! I did, I swear! This was harder to write than you would think.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Gah! I hate this chapter... Oh! *clears throat* sorry about that. To my few readers/followers (namely, Tiger Priestess, Awsaya, CherryWillow19 and khattriya-leng), sorry for not updating in so long. I had MAJOR Writer's Block for ALL of my stories. Gomenasai (sorry). I may consider rewriting this later, but for now, let's just stick with this, so just bear with me please. I actually almost finished writing this when I decided it sounded too weird so I deleted the whole thing and started from scratch. Anyways...**

**Warning - MAJOR OOC! I really, REALLY hate this chapter. It's to OOC and it's too short.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Brave 10.**

**Note - I may or may not have already mentioned this, but this takes place a few (not a lot) years after the series, so the characters really have bonded deeply throughout this time. And Ana came back too.**

"Saizo..." The one, quiet word seemed as loud as a gunshot in the silence. All sounds became quiet, as if holding their breath. The owls stopped hooting. The insects stopped chirping. The wind stopped blowing. The trees stopped whispering.

The ninja made no reply to the heartbroken whisper. He scanned their faces. The other Braves and their lord couldn't help but shudder as Saizo's eyes met theirs. Even for the brief seconds where their gazes locked, it was like they had been wrapped in a blanket of ice even colder than Ana's. He hadn't looked at them with hatred. Or pain. Or anger. It was with something far worse.

His eyes held no emotion at all. No amusement. No annoyance. No affection. Nothing.

_What did they do to him? _Yukimura wondered grimly, swallowing down a sudden wave of fury. Glancing around, he saw a similar flicker of anger in the others faces. As time passed, they had become more than just fellow servants and comrades. They were much closer than that. They were all a _group_. They were all _friends_. But now...

"Th-this is some kind of a joke, right?" Isanami laughed, her voice trembling. The others looked at her with surprise, then pity. The laugh sounded painfully fake. Isanami continued laughing. Saizo watched her cooly. Her forced laughter died off. "It's a joke, right?" she whispered, her hair hiding her eyes. "Please stop already, Saizo. It's not funny. It really isn't."

Benmaru clung onto the shrine maiden's sleeve, looking up with worry. Ana (who had returned two days ago from an errand at a near by village) gently lay her hand on Isanami's shoulder.

"It's real, Isanami," she whispered, the faintest edge of sadness lining her usually smooth voice. "None of us like it, but we're going to have to face it."

"Touching," a painfully familiar voice rang out. "But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to spoil the moment." Saizo pointed the Mari-Blade at Yukimura. "I'm under orders to kill you."

"Saiz-"

"Yukimura-sam-"

"Wha-"

"Ho-"

"******-"

Several people tried speaking at once.

"Orders from whom?" Yukimura demanded loudly, drowning out the other voices (and Kamanosuke's rude word).

"There's no need for a dead man to know that."

"I see," Yukimura nodded, as calm as ever. "Before you kill me, could you at least answer two questions?"

Silence.

"I'll take that as a yes. I want you to answer them truthfully. One; Do you know me?"

"No," Saizo answered flatly.

"Alright. Two;" He looked Saizo right in the eye, and pointed to Isanami, his nightgown sleeve swishing. "Do you know this girl?"

Isanami, and possibly everyone else, all held their breath. It was amazing how important such a simple question could be. Out of all the Braves, Isanami was, by far, the closest to Saizo - despite his heated complaints and rejections when anyone suggested that they were close. If he didn't even know her...

Saizo looked Isanami up and down. Isanami's heart beat so hard - a mixture of anticipation, dread and fear - that she was sure that everyone could hear it. She dug her nails into her palms, and beads of blood oozed out from how deep she had pressed. Ana gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and Benmaru clutched her hand protectively. Seikai put his hand over Isanami's other shoulder.

"No."

With that one word, Isanami's whole world slid out from under her. She wanted to faint. To collapse. To throw up. To cry until she could cry no more. But she remained frozen to the spot, her eyes open wide, her tear streaked face a mask of shock. Dimly, she was aware of people calling her name.

"Sis? Sis?!"

"Isanami!"

"Isanami-neechan!"

Running a tongue over her dry lips, she replied in a voice that was impossibly calm - completely opposite to what she was really feeling - "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Now, Sanada Yukimura," Saizo continued, brushing the matter aside as if she were no more than a slight interruption, "You die."

* * *

Yukimura dodged the first strike - barely. He cursed as Saizo slashed again. _He's fast! Now that I think of it, I've never actually fought against him..._ He didn't even think of grabbing the fan lying on the deck. It would break into splinters against the power of the Mari-Blade. He doubted he could win against Saizo even with a proper katana right now, especially if Saizo decided to throw in some of his special skills. Besides, he was to occupied trying to stay alive. Saizo was incredibly fast. Even worse, his attacks were swift, precise and powerful.

"Oi! You never said he was _this_ good!" he panted, the comment aimed at the blond Iga ninja.

Ana shrugged helplessly. It was to intense for any of them to step in - Saizo's close range attacks made it impossible for them to attack without accidentally killing their master. Any other person would have been slaughtered already. All they could do now was to watch for a opening. Then they could make their move, preferably without killing any of them. "Saizo's gotten slack over the last few years," she called back grimly, eyes focused on the fight like a hawk. "Especially after meeting you guys. He hasn't done any real assassination jobs in _years_." The others turned their eyes away from the one sided fight for a minute, staring at Ana in horror.

"This is what he can really do," she finished softly. "Whatever they did to him must have made his regain his old self." Ana shivered uncharacteristically. "He didn't get a reputation for being 'The Man No One Can Cut' for nothing, after all."

They turned back to the fight, the icy truth sinking in. All of them had the same thought in their mind.

_What did they do to him?_

**Ahh, I _really_ hate this chapter. _Way_ too OOC for my liking, and the Saizo/Yukimura fight without anyone being able to step in is just impossible. But I honestly didn't know how to write this, and I don't want to make my few readers wait too long, so... Please don't hate me!**

**Please review, even if it's to inform me about how horrible this was.**

**Kamanosuke - You're **** right! This chapter was way too ****** ******! Where's the blood? And I didn't even really appear! I wanna fight Saizo! Lemme fight Saizo!**

**Me - Gee, thanks for rubbing it in my face!**

**Kamanosuke - You're welcome.**

**Me - That was sarcasm.**

**Kamanosuke - I _know! _I was being sarcastic back!**

**Me - *smiles as a vein twitches* What was that? You don't wanna fight Saizo? Okey dokey, all goods with me... *walks off whistling* **

**Kamanosuke - What? No! Wait! I wanna fight Saizo! *runs after me*.**

**P.S I started a new forum! It's called Anime Chat Area, and it's just what it sounds like. You can request stories, challenge people, or just talk about anime. Feel free to drop in and chat - anyone can join. **


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